Osama bin Laden's final letters detail his desire to kill U.S. leaders, worry about strength of al Qaeda

WASHINGTON — In letters from his last hideout, Osama bin Laden fretted about dysfunction in his terrorist network and the loss of trust from Muslims he wished to incite against their government and the West.

While bin Laden saw al Qaeda's standing with Muslim populations at risk of crumbling, the documents show he remained focused on attacking Americans and coming up with plots, however improbable, to kill U.S. leaders.

He wished especially to target airplanes carrying Gen. David Petraeus and even President Barack Obama, reasoning that an assassination would elevate an "utterly unprepared" Vice President Joe Biden into the presidency and plunge the U.S. into crisis.

A review of the summary that accompanies the English translations reveals several other tidbits, among them:

• In a letter a week before his death, bin Laden outlines his strategy for the Arab Spring, "inciting people who have not yet revolted and exhort[ing] them to rebel against the ruler."

• A document likely written by bin Laden discusses the need for al Qaeda to "remain focused on targeting the United States."

• bin Laden writes to Mukhtar Abu al-Zubayr, the leader of the Somali militant group Harakat al-Shabab al-Mujahidin, and politely declines an offer to "formally unite" the groups.

• A letter from American al Qaeda spokesman Adam Gadahn to an unknown recipient goes through the merits of various U.S.-based news organizations, saying "there are no distinct differences between the channels from the standpoint of professionalism and neutrality. ... From the professional point of view, they are all on one level except (Fox News) channel which falls into the abyss as you know, and lacks neutrality too."